Ariel Kennan
Senior Fellow, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
Ariel Kennan is a civic design and digital leader who works across sectors to drive impactful change. Currently, Ariel is a Senior Fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, where she is researching and advising on best practices for using design, data, and technology for improving the social safety net. Previously, she served in the New York City Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity where she was the founding director of the first municipal service design studio in the United States and led the digital product portfolio. Most recently, she was the Director of Civic Innovation at Sidewalk Labs, where she led the strategy for inclusive participation in the social infrastructure of cities. She is passionate about the global network of civic designers and is the lead curator for the Rosenfeld Media Civic Design Conference and Community and co-founder of the Civic Design Library. Learn more and get in touch at arielkennan.com.
Rosenverse talks by Ariel:
" We still have so much more work to do and things to learn. "
Theme Two Intro
November 17, 2022
" Doing random pairing or 'donuts' could connect Civic designers from around the world for informal one-to-one exchanges. "
Civic Design in 2022
January 13, 2022
" Everything can be designed – ourselves, relationships, processes, policies, systems. "
Reflect and Chart Forward
December 10, 2021
" Design is about making things tangible early, so stakeholders can see and believe in the work. "
Pipeline to Civic Design
December 9, 2021
" Many governments need to buy design services to augment their internal capacities. "
Theme 2 Intro
December 9, 2021
" We helped through Homestat last year to move 690 people into housing. "
Building a Design Culture
June 9, 2017